New Theatre Group at The Ojai Valley Grange

Ojai has a gift in its midst in the form of energetic and talented director Francisca Beach. She came to live in her beloved Ojai in 2007. Starting in May, she is creating a new theatre group, Senga Classic Stage Company to perform at the Ojai Valley Grange. The Grange is the new and permanent home of her creative offspring: SCSC's first production will be two one-act comedies by Anton Chekhov, "The Proposal" and "The Boor". If her future productions are anything like her recent work, "True West" by Sam Shepard at the Elite Theatre in Oxnard or "She Stoops to Conquer" by Oliver Goldsmith, Backstage at Santa Paula Theatre Center, the Ojai Valley and its surrounding communities are in for a plentiful feast of well-directed classic American and European Theatre. Beach has repeatedly won over reviewers, audiences and her appreciative actors with her professionalism, inspirational directing, knowledge, and experience of what good theatre is all about. She knows how to direct and bring characters to life, with her fascination for, and deep insights into the human condition. When she works, her focus is completely on the production. She lives and breathes the production. Beach says "Theatre is a wonderful place to live." Her first engagement was playing Margaret, the dream child in J. M. Barrie's "Dear Brutus" when she was fifteen years old. She fell in love instantly, and the love affair with theatre has lasted a lifetime, giving renewed direction and purpose to each new play discovered along the way.Beach, a native Brit first founded Senga Women Theatre Company in Scotland in 1997 with the aim of promoting the work of women playwrights. Her new theatre company has retained the name "Senga" who was an ancient Celtic goddess of plenty and fertility. Beach graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, where she was given recognition for her comedic talent and awarded the Comedy Prize. She went on to study at the H.B. Studio in New York. She has to her credit 30 important years of theatre in the United Kingdom, Canada and United States. Beach brings not only her talent as an accomplished and skilled director, but also her rich experience of being an actress in British repertory companies and theatres in Canada and the United States. Beach says that her directing grew out of her acting experience. "It was a natural evolution - after 25 years of acting professionally I gravitated towards directing - directing satisfies all my skills and creative impulses."What she envisions for her theatre in Ojai is as intelligent, exciting, and focused as she is. At the Ojai Valley Grange, she will provide plays that Ojai and the surrounding communities don't normally have a chance to see. Given her education and portfolio of wonderful plays, she will provide a cultural stimulus as well as entertainment. She does not see herself as competing with the other existing theatres in the Valley, but rather complementing the existing theatre productions with her repertoire of European and American classics Like many Europeans she believes theatre should "... not only entertain, but also educate, inspire, and bring different cultures and times closer to us, capturing historical perspectives and providing a 'live' participation between actors and audience." Beach wishes to expose young people to theatre, referring to them as "audiences of the future", who will benefit from being exposed to the different "mores and manners of other cultures."Beach is thrilled and very grateful for the space she has acquired for SCSC at the Ojai Valley Grange. "It has all the facets I need in a theatre: a stage, a box office area, a kitchen and a parking lot. We are a bit short on dressing room space, but we can solve that with ingenuity. I'm so grateful to the members of the Grange who have generously started the necessary alterations to transform the space. They are extremely supportive and enthusiastic about the theatre." The Grange is the oldest agricultural organization since the Civil War. It is a fraternal organization of American farmers that encourages farm families to work together for their common economic interests and well-being. The Grange can be found in 3,600 communities in 37 states and still has a membership of close to 300,000 people. "Grange" comes from the Latin word for grain. And rumor has it that there will be homemade baked goods available at every performance. We would expect no less from the ladies of the Ojai Valley Grange.Down the road, the Ojai community will also benefit from Beach's teaching experience in schools and colleges in the UK, Canada, and United States. She plans to offer drama classes and play readings between her quarterly productions of plays at the Grange. She wants to encourage young people into the theatre. "Creative Drama stimulates the imagination and fosters self-confidence, and clear and audible speech. It heightens physical and verbal response patterns, promotes relationships, and uncovers the creative potential in each student." Drama classes will include theatre games, improvisation, role playing, mime, scene study, dance drama and discussion groups - and having interviewed her in person, it sounds like a lot of fun.Most importantly, Francisca Beach envisions much cultural stimuli, good entertainment and a lot of people of all ages having a great time. Good luck Ms. Beach - we welcome that energy and life-force you bring with you to all your projects. See you there in May."The Proposal" features Della Brownlow, Frank Payfer and Vincent Ugolini. "The Boor" features Laura Maruzzella, Frank Payfer and Steve Grumette. The production opens May 15 - May 31. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets $15 ($12 Seniors & Students) Ojai Valley Grange, 381 Cruzero St., Ojai. For reservations call (805) 646-4885